Viewing Your Drawing

Using Standard Views

The items under the Standard Views option allow you to change the representation and orientation of your design in the Drawing Area. VectorWorks has 15 view options, which can be divided into 4 basic categories:

To change between the different views.

    From the View menu, select Standard Views and then the desired item.

    VectorWorks will automatically change your view, placing a checkmark in front of the active view in the Standard Views list.

    There are also keyboard shortcuts for switching views. These shortcuts use the numeric keypad and are depicted in the following illustration.

Rendering

The Rendering option lets you apply and view a solid surface to 3D wireframe objects in your drawing, as long as you are in a 3D projection mode. You can select the color and/or fill you want applied to an object's surface. In addition, you can determine light source(s).

To select a rendering mode

    1. Select any Standard 3D projection mode.

    2. From the View menu, select Rendering and then the rendering mode you want to use.

VectorWorks will change your view and present a rendered version of your entire drawing.

The further down the rendering list that you move, the more accurate the rendering of your object will be. To help you determine which rendering mode you want to use, here is the same object rendered in each of the nine available modes.

QuickDraw 3D

The QuickDrawTM 3D rendering mode gives better color resolution than VectorWorks' other rendering modes. For example, the Shaded Solid rendering mode can only use colors from the document's 256 (8-bit) color palette. This can yield inaccurate results, for example, if you render a pink extrude in a document with only one pink in the color palette. The QuickDraw 3D rendering mode, however, uses a full 16 or 32 bits for each pixel and provides a truer representation of color.

Also, the Shaded Solid rendering mode assigns one brightness value for an entire polygon, which can result in a faceted look for 3D objects. The QuickDraw 3D rendering mode by contrast "interpolates" the brightness of each pixel of a polygon, such that you can see specular highlights on a sphere; thus yielding a more realistic rendering.

Additionally, the QuickDraw 3D rendering mode tries to produce smooth edges for extrudes and sweeps that are created from curved vertices. This reduces the faceting effects seen with the other rendering modes.

LightWorks and QD3D

The LightWorksTM QD3D plug-in renderer further refines the accuracy of rendered images, by improving the lighting accuracy and enabling the projection of shadows in an image. The LightWorks plug-in is not provided with VectorWorks. It must be purchased and is available from our website. The default QD3D renderer is called the Interactive Renderer and is included by Apple with installation of QuickDraw 3D. The Interactive Renderer has been optimized for speed of rendering, which affects the accuracy of the output. One thing that the Interactive Renderer does to maximize speed is to sample light vectors only at the vertices of a polygon, not at every pixel on the surface of a polygon. This can result in a loss of lighting accuracy in the image. For example, if you render a large 3D polygon with a point light source over the center, the QD3D Interactive Renderer will miss the light in the middle, because the polygon vertices are located far from the light source.

The LightWorks plug-in samples light vectors all along the surface of a polygon, so instead of missing the point light source completely, the LightWorks image will have a nice circular lighted area in the middle of the polygon.

The LightWorks plug-in also supports shadowing, which can be used in Sun Studies or to increase the realism of a rendered model.

Projection

The Projection command alters the way VectorWorks displays the 3D geometry of the drawing on a 2D screen. In addition to the standard 2D Top/Plan projection, VectorWorks has six other 3D projection modes.

Projection Mode Description
2D Plan Mode matches what is used for normal 2D drafting. Use this view when you are drawing 2D objects for the best precision.
Orthogonal The traditional isometric projection used by architects and engineers. It is probably the most commonly used projection for 3D CAD. This projection displays the drawing as an undistorted projection--where objects display as their exact size regardless of their distance from the ground plane.
Perspective Adds distortion to the drawing so that objects that are farther away from your viewpoint appear smaller than objects that are close to it. The Perspective mode closely approximates how your 3D model will appear in the real world.
Oblique Cavalier (30º or 45º) Seldom used, but is designed to show an undistorted front view along with depth. The length of the lines along the Z axis showing the depth of an object are represented in true length. This distorts the image of the object, making it appear deeper than it really is. You can take precise measurements either from a printout of the drawing or from the screen image.
Oblique Cabinet (30º or 45º) Similar to Oblique Cavalier. However, in this mode, the lines for the depth are shortened by 50%. This distorts the actual length of these lines, but represents a more natural view of the object. You can still use this mode to take measurements of vectors perpendicular to the projection plan (along the Z axis) from a printed drawing, but you must multiply them by 2 to get the actual dimension.

To select a projection mode

    1. Make sure the portion of your drawing that you want to view is visible in the Drawing Area.

    2. From the View menu, select Projection and then the specific projection you want to use.

Perspective

The Perspective command lets you change the amount of distortion used in displaying your drawing file, giving it the sensation of 3D perspective. You can select from Normal, Narrow, or Wide perspective. In addition, you can create a custom perspective.

Perspective Explanation
Set Perspective Allows you to set a perspective numerically.
Narrow Perspective Like a telephoto lens.
Normal Perspective Like a portrait lens.
Wide Perspective Like a wide angle or fisheye lens.

To choose a perspective

    From the View menu, select Perspective and then the specific perspective you want to use.

    If you select Set Perspective, a dialog box will appear. Type the custom perspective value you want to use in the textbox after Perspective and then click OK. The lower the value entered, the wider the angle of perspective will be.

Walkthrough

The Walkthrough Tool simulates you taking a walk through your 3D model. You can move closer to it, back away, turn right or left, and look up or down--all mimicking the movements you might make if you were literally walking through and viewing the design as a real-world model.

To use the Walkthrough Tool, you must be in the Perspective projection mode. If you try to select this tool when you are in a different projection mode, a dialog box will appear asking if you want to switch to perspective projection. Once there, the different walkthrough movements can be controlled either by dragging the mouse or by clicking mode buttons.

To conduct a walkthrough of a model

    1. From the View menu, select Projection and Perspective.

    2. Click the Walkthrough Tool.

    3. Click the Reset mode button.

    This positions you level with the model and directly facing its front

    You also can obtain the following movements by clicking the mode buttons:

Mode Button Description
Up Move Up.
Down Move Down.
Look Up Look Up.
Look Down Look Down.

    4. Click on the drawing and drag the cursor to walkthrough.

    Imagine that your Drawing Area has four quadrants. Whenever you hold down the mouse button, you can move forward, backward, left, and right by dragging the mouse in these directions. (The place where all these quadrants meet is the "still area"--when you move the mouse there, the walkthrough movement will stop.)

Move Left Or Right Move Up Or Down Ctrl/Option Move Left Or Right Ctrl/Option Move Up Or Down Shift Key
Turn left or right about the current camera location using the world z axis Move forward or backward in the world XY plane Look up or down rotating the camera about the screen X axis Move up or down along the world z axis. Selected objects are drawn full detail and unselected objects disappear with a single rubber band box drawn around all objects. This speeds up redraw.

Note: X, Y, and Z refer to the world coordinate system as indicated in the Working Plane palette. I, J, and K refer to the current working plane coordinate system. The Z axis movement is only apparent when in Perspective projection.

Translate View

The Translate View Tool gives you another way to look at your 3D model in Orthogonal or Perspective projections. You can use this tool either by dragging the mouse or by clicking mode buttons. Here are some directions to get you started.

To translate a view

    1. Click the Translate View Tool.

    2. Click the desired mode button.

    The two mode buttons for the Translate View Tool work like binoculars, letting you focus in and out on the picture in your Drawing Area.

    3. Click on the drawing and drag the cursor to translate the drawing from side to side or up and down.

    Notice the 3D objects move, but the page boundaries remain fixed.

Move Left Or Right Move Up Or Down Ctrl/Option Move Left Or Right Ctrl/Option Move Up Or Down Shift Key
Move along screen x axis Move along screen y axis Dynamically change the level of perspective (same as changing the Set Perspective dialog) Move up or down along the z axis. Selected objects are drawn full detail and unselected objects disappear with a single rubber band box drawn around all objects. This speeds up redraw.

Note: X, Y, and Z refer to the world coordinate system as indicated in the Working Plane palette. I, J, and K refer to the current working plane coordinate system. The Z axis movement is only apparent when in Perspective projection.

Flyover

You can look at a 3D model by raising your vantage point with the Flyover Tool. In addition, you also can lower your viewpoint to look up at the model, or move around the model to either the left or right as if you were walking around it. All of these movements simulate the views you would have if you were moving in those directions around a real-world model.

Note: You will have the most control over the rotation movement if you use the Reference Plane buttons on the Working Planes palette with the Flyover Tool.

To flyover a drawing

    1. Select the Flyover Tool from the 3D Tools palette.

    2. Click the desired mode button.

    You can use the mode buttons to rotate about the center of the working plane (right button), center of the ground plane (center button), or the center of the selected object (left).

    3. Click on the drawing and drag the cursor to flyover the drawing.

    Imagine that your Drawing Area has four quadrants. Whenever you hold down the mouse button, you can move forward, backward, left, and right by dragging the mouse in these directions.

Move Left Or Right Move Up Or Down Ctrl/Option Move Left Or Right Ctrl/Option Move Up Or Down Shift Key
Rotate about the world z axis Rotate about the screen X axis Move along the screen z axis (zooms in and out when in perspective) Move up or down along the world z axis. Selected objects are drawn full detail and unselected objects disappear with a single rubber band box drawn around all objects. This speeds up redraw.

Note: X, Y, and Z refer to the world coordinate system as indicated in the Working Plane palette. I, J, and K refer to the current working plane coordinate system. The Z axis movement is only apparent when in Perspective projection.

Rotating the View

The Rotate View Tool, which lets you rotate your drawing 360° in any direction, has three different mode options. The best way to learn how to use this tool is to experiment, comparing how the drawing responds to different movements. Here are some directions to get you started.

    1. Select the Rotate View Tool from the 3D Tools palette.

    2. Click the desired mode button.

    You can use the mode buttons to rotate about the center of the Working Plane (right button), center of the Ground Plane (center button), or the center of the selected object (left).

    Using the icon buttons at the bottom of the Working Plane palette, you can also select the axis of rotation to be about the Ground Plane axes (last right button) or the Working Plane axes (left most button).

    Whenever you hold down the mouse button, you can rotate the object fully, flipping it in the direction that you drag the mouse.

Move Left Or Right Move Up Or Down Shift Key
Rotate about the screen y axis (or screen z if the mouse is at the perimeter) Rotate about the screen x axis (or screen z if the mouse is at the perimeter) Selected objects are drawn full detail and unselected objects disappear with a single rubber band box drawn around all objects. This speeds up redraw.

Rotate 3D View

The Rotate 3D View command gives you a precise way to rotate a 3D object, changing your view of it. You can either type rotation values ("Rotate by Value"), or you can move a object in increments ("Interactive Rotate"). Either way, you will see a preview of each rotation before the object is actually rotated in your drawing.

To rotate a 3D view

    1. From the View menu, select Rotate 3D View.

    The 3D Rotation dialog box appears.

    2. Enter the desired criteria.

    If you want to use the current view, do not click the Parameters Are Absolute checkbox.

    If you want to view and rotate the object from a top (absolute) view, click the Parameters Are Absolute checkbox.

    3. Enter the desired rotation.

    For Rotate by Value, type the angle value or values you want to use for the object's X, Y, and/or Z axis. You can specify these values in degrees, minutes, and seconds.

    For Interactive Rotate, first decide the angle increment you want to use for each click and type that value in Increment. Then use the plus (+) and minus (-) buttons for each axis to rotate the object.

    4. Click OK.

Set 3D View

When you have a 3D model which also has a 2D drafting plan, you can use the Set 3D View command to designate a precise 3D view of your model--one created with the exact viewing angle and perspective you specify. To allow greater control, you designate the view in your 2D Top/Plan mode. If you prefer, you can also use the command to set a 3D View in any of VectorWorks' 3D projection modes.

To set a 3D view

    1. Select Standard View and Top/Plan from the View menu.

    You can also select a 3D projection mode.

    2. From the View menu, select Set 3D View.

    3. Use the cursor to draw a line on the drawing to indicate the view you want to see, where the starting point of the line indicates your position and the line's endpoint indicates the point you want to view.

    The Set 3D View dialog box appears.

    4. Enter the desired criteria.

    Enter the Viewer Height you want to use.

    Enter the Look Toward Height you want to use.

    Select the Perspective you want to use.

    5. Click OK.

The Fit to Objects command gives you an easy way to zoom in or out of your drawing. You have your choice of two zoom options: having VectorWorks zoom in or zoom out so that all of the objects in your drawing are visible, or having VectorWorks zoom in on a particular object or set of objects.

Note: There is also a Fit to Object button on the View Bar.

To fit for all visible objects in your drawing

    1. Make sure you are in the layer that has the object(s) you want to view and that no objects are selected.

    2. From the Page menu, select Fit to Objects.

    VectorWorks will zoom in or zoom out so that all the objects in your drawing display in the Drawing Area.

To fit for a particular object of set of objects

    1. Make sure you are in the layer that has the object or objects you want to view.

    2. Select the object or objects that you want to view.

    3. From the Page menu, select Fit to Objects.

    VectorWorks will zoom in so that only the selected object(s) display in the Drawing Area.

Fit to Window

The Fit to Window command gives you an easy way to quickly display your whole print area in the Drawing Window. If you are using a single page, this command will display all of that page in the Drawing Window. If, however, your drawing has two or more pages, all of the pages will display at the same time in the Drawing Window when you select this command.

Note: There is also a Fit to Window button on the View Bar.

To fit the drawing to the window

    From the Page menu, select Fit to Window.

    VectorWorks will zoom in or out so that all pages in your drawing display in the Drawing Area.

Viewing History

VectorWorks automatically records your view anytime you change projection or perspective, zoom in or out, pan across the drawing sheet, or a similar change in how the drawing is viewed. This feature is similar to Internet browsers and provides a stack of your most recent actions. You can move through this stack by clicking the Back and Forward buttons at the left end of the View Bar. VectorWorks automatically saves up to the last 10 views.



tech@diehlgraphsoft.com
Copyright © 1998, Diehl Graphsoft Inc. All rights reserved.